OVERLAND PARK, Kan. January 04, 2011 - As the first national wireless carrier to launch 4G in 2008, Sprint (NYSE:S) wrapped up 2010 with a lead in 4G wireless device innovations. Further extending that lead, the company today introduced the upcoming availability of two products in Sprint’s second generation of 4G-capable devices: HTC EVO Shift™ 4G and MiFi® 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Novatel Wireless. With these two devices, Sprint has now introduced 17 4G-capable devices for consumers and business, including three phones, a 4G netbook and notebook from Dell, numerous USB modem options, and several mobile hotspots and routers.

“Sprint will continue to set the bar for feature-rich and customer-friendly 4G devices into 2011,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “Our proven leadership as a 4G pioneer has allowed our customers to enjoy 4G from Sprint first, and these new products exemplify Sprint’s commitment to put industry-leading performance and capabilities in the hands of our customers.”

A Feature-Rich 4G Phone with QWERTY

As the 16th 4G-capable device from Sprint, HTC EVO Shift follows in the footsteps of the award-winning HTC EVO™ 4G, bringing customers an attractive, compact design and an impressive list of features with the addition of a sliding QWERTY keyboard. Beyond the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience, HTC EVO Shift also boasts the power of 4G, Android 2.2™, a 5MP camera, 720p HD camcorder and a 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen display with pinch-to-zoom capability.

The Web browser on HTC EVO Shift is optimized for convenient mobile use and a full Internet experience with functions like pinch-to-zoom and automatically reflowing text. Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes staying in touch with friends and family through messaging and social networking quick and easy.

Priced at the lowest cost at launch for any current 4G phone, HTC EVO Shift will be just $149.99 (excluding taxes) after a $100 mail-in rebate and activation on a new two-year service agreement (or eligible upgrade), and activation on a data plan with the required $10 Premium Data Add-On.

Big on Power, Small on Size

With the unveiling of Novatel Wireless’ (NASDAQ: NVTL) ultra-compact MiFi® 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot, Sprint brings customers the portability of the MiFi design with one-touch connectivity for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, including tablets, eReaders, laptops or gaming consoles. Delivering a true wireless experience with no cables or software installation required, MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot has battery life of up to four hours of usage and 60 hours of standby time. MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot easily supports all the needs of a family household, a frequent traveler who wants to avoid Wi-Fi charges, or even a small business team with a form factor about the size of a credit card.

MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot’s predecessor, 3G MiFi® wireless hotspot by Novatel Wireless, was one of the industry’s most popular intelligent mobile hotspots. MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot adds 4G accessibility, an external display with status indicators for battery, signal strength and number of connected devices, and shared storage capability through a MicroSD slot for up to a 32GB memory card. It supports Windows, Macintosh and Linuz operating systems.

As the 17th 4G-capable device from Sprint, MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot will be just $49.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 mail-in rebate activation on a new two-year service agreement (or eligible upgrade). It will be available nationwide on Feb. 27 at all Sprint retail channels, including www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1. Visit 3Gstore.com/mifi4g for more information.

More Options in 4G Products

Sprint already offers an extensive and impressive portfolio of 4G-enabled devices and routers. Stand-outs include Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 10 (1012) netbook and Dell™ Inspiron™ 11z notebook, the first 3G/4G embedded devices offered by a wireless carrier in the United States. Both come pre-loaded with Windows Live Essentials 2011 and deliver 4G speeds on a mobile PC without the need for connection cards or hotspots to access the Internet.

Consumers have also been enjoying the award-winning HTC EVO 4G and Samsung Epic™ 4G, America’s first 4G-capable handsets. Both phones have received high praise from industry analysts, customers and media, including CNET, TheStreet.com, LAPTOP Magazine, POPULAR MECHANICS and PCWorld.

Sprint customers get more with unlimited 4G data on their monthly plan, which means real simplicity and value. Sprint offers simplicity and savings vs. competitors, making it easy for customers to get the most out of their phones without worrying about costs or data usage. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on for select smartphones – a savings of $39.99 per month vs. Verizon’s plan with unlimited talk, text and Web, and $35 per month vs. AT&T’s plan with unlimited talk, text and just 2GB of data.

Further, the Sprint Free Guarantee is the only full money-back guarantee on service plans in the wireless industry today, allowing customers to try a new line of service with Sprint for 30 days. If a customer isn’t completely satisfied, they can cancel service and return their device to be reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get the early termination fee waived, get a full refund for monthly service plan recurring charges incurred and get all associated taxes and fees waived. In addition, Sprint will waive the restocking fee for new customer exchanges as part of this policy. Refund excludes usage not included in the service plan, premium content, third-party billing and international charges.